I love fresh tomatoes. Typically, I find they are best from either a local farmers market or from your garden if you have one. This time of year, as the weather gets hot, I like to take these tomatoes and make a cold refreshing cup of gazpacho. It is like a salad in a cup. In fact, I just made my first batch of the year. And what is there not to love about tomatoes?
Anti-oxidants: lots of vitamin A and C and beta-carotene that act as anti-oxidants to neutralize free radicals
Blood Sugar Balance: they have chromium which helps glucose into cells to balance blood sugar levels - have hypoglycemic tendencies?
Vision: Vitamin A is good for those with poor night vision
Hair: Vitamin A is also great for strong and shiny hair
This recepie is a fairly easy one:
- About 2 lbs of ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
- 1 Italian frying (cubanelle) pepper or another long, light green pepper (like the Anaheim), cored, seeded and cut into chunks
- 1 cucumber, about 8 inches, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 small mild onion (white), peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 teaspoons of sherry vinegar
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, more to taste, plus more for drizzling
- Combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion and garlic in a blender. Work in batches if needed. Blend at high speed until very smooth (at least 2 minutes)
- Add in vinegar, 2 teaspoons of salt and olive oil and blend further
- Strain the mixture through a strainer or a food mill, pushing all the liquid through with a spatula. Discard the solids. Transfer to a pitcher and chill at least 6 hours.
- Before serving, can add a touch more salt and/ or vinegar to taste. Add a few drops of olive oil on top for a nice touch.
Enjoy!